(HealthCastle.com) Taste aversion, nausea, sore mouth, weight loss - if you or anyone in your family has undergone cancer treatment therapy, you know how invasive these side effects are. Despite trying every diet strategy I was aware of, I remember feeling defeated when my father lost 10 pounds of weight in the second week of his radiation therapy in 1997.
Rebecca Katz had a similar experience when her father went through cancer treatment in 2000. A chef at a vegetarian restaurant, Katz was at a loss about what to cook for her father - but she did not stop looking for answers. This personal experience drove her to be more interested in finding solutions for cancer patients. She went on to become a senior chef at the Commonweal Cancer Help Program in California, and the Executive Chef for the Center for Mind-Body Medicine's Food as Medicine program.
Katz also wrote The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, a resource book I wish I'd had back in 1997.
Diet Strategies for Taste Changes During Cancer Therapy
Katz's solutions to revitalize taste buds? Stock an FASS culinary tool kit, which stands for Fat, Acid, Salt, and Sweet. In Katz's kitchen, "olive oil represents the fat, lemons are the acid, sea salt is the salt, and organic maple syrup or agave is the sweet."
| If Things Taste... |
Do the following |
| Like cardboard |
Add sea salt, or a spritz of fresh lemon juice |
| Like metal |
Add maple syrup or agave, and a squeeze of lemon |
| Too bitter |
Add maple syrup or agave |
| Too sweet |
Add 6 drops of lemon juice. Then add more in small increments until the sweetness is muted. |
| Too salty |
Add 1/4 tsp of lemon juice |
The best part of The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen is the chapter about tonics and elixirs. A soothing, tasty drink is sometimes all a cancer patient asks for, but swallowing a drink becomes challenging if the patient has a sore or dry mouth. The book also include lots of soups, such as the must-have Magic Mineral Broth on page 54, which offers nutrition and taste. In a nutshell, Katz's recipes take into consideration all the circumstances a cancer patient faces, and her book is a must-have for all who are going through cancer radiation or chemotherapy treatments.
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